Removing Scratches

[DLTARNU]

I'm looking at a Viper that is in good (not great) shape. It's biggest flaw is that it was driven regularly on dirt roads (where the person lived), and as such has lots of little scratches on the paint. None as deep as the primer, but still noticeable.

While negotiating a selling price, I want to factor in the cost to fix these scratches.

Can a body/detail shop buff these out so the finish will look new, and if so, how much would a really professional job cost?


Thanks!

 

[Newport Viper]

You could learn how to fix them yourself here:
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/

 

[IEATVETS]

If it was me and the scratches were deep I would think about repainting the whole vehicle but you would be talking about at least $3500 for a good paint job. I would guess a great paint job would be in the area of $5000. May be better off spending the extra money on a Viper that didn't need the work. Thats just me.

 

[Sam 01 RT10]

You could learn how to fix them yourself here:
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/

Thanks for posting that.
That's a great link. I'm going to pick up a few things based on some reading over there.
I've personally had good luck with minor scratches by using Meguiar's Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner and a random orbital buffer. I'm not brave enough to try a regular buffer on the car.

 

[Newport Viper]

This one has a lot of tech in it.
http://www.showcargarage.com/forum/

 

[Ron Hickey]

One of our members bought a black GTS from a broker sight unseen a couple of years ago and discovered that "like new" really meant "lots of scratches." He paid a detailer about $600 to wet sand and buff out the car. Afterwards the car looked pretty decent. These scratches were light ones -- none too deep. Depending on the depth of your car's scratches, you might try a similar approach.